New Construction–Reply to query

QUOTE

I am a NRI working in Abu Dhabi.  I am planning to construct a new house in my 11 cent plot and the place is in between pattambi and shoranur and it is a remote area.  My plan is 3 BHK with the minimum required facilities.  My family consists of myself, wife and son and my parents.  I need to construct a house which is cost effective but at the same time it should have the minimum required facilities.
 
Please let us know some ideas and details such as the average cost, etc. because I am planning to apply for a NRI housing loan.
 
,
Suresh K.P.

My reply

Cost can be worked out or a guess Estimate can be made only after we have at least the following data

1.Site visit study

2.Study by Architect about your dreams and needs for your house

3.Plan of the house

Even if these data is available every Estimate is only a more nearer guess by a professional with the assistance of data available to him at the time of preparation of Estimate.

House Construction require several materials.Some of these materials may not necessarily be available in time without much difficulty.Cost of almost all materials used  in construction of house changes mostly upward during construction

Trends and technology changes during course of your house construction

Even the most well managed construction organisation find it difficult to get the right skilled workers at the right time and wages payable to them also keep changing mostly depending upon demand supply theory

So how can any one clearly predict cost of your house construction just  by hearing your intention of constructing a house?

Is a plan enough for building house?

From the mails I receive I get a feeling that lot of people have too many wrong ideas about plan of house.Most important wrong ideas are the following

1.Any plan prepared by any one or taken from any website is good enough for plan of your house

2.There is no meaning in paying a higher fees or charges for getting plan of the house prepared by a well known Architect

3.If the plan of the house is ready, builder of the house can manage everything else.No more need for a professional Architect/Engineer.

4.An Architect can make good elevation of the house for any plan

5.If a picture of the house taken from anywhere is given to an Architect,he can make a similar or same Elevation whatever may be plan of your house.

All these are wrong.

A qualified and experienced Architect will have to discuss in detail with you to understand what exactly you need in the house to be designed and built.

He has to see the land where the building has to come up.By seeing the land,he will visualise your house in the plot,check nature of land,surroundings,level of land,Vasthu aspects if he is good at Vasthu also.He will also check up whether there is any restraining factors for building a house as per Kerala Building rules.

While preparing plan for your house knowledge of Architect and his rich experience is used to design the house to get following:

1.Better facilities for you as per your wishes but with lesser cost

2.Better utilisation of every built up space.No unnecessary or unwanted space in the house.

3.Better features of modern architecture and Kerala Architecture if he is well versed with Kerala Architecture.

4.Vasthu compliance for each portion of the house(If he is good at Vasthu)

5.Better structural design to reduce cost

6.Better appearance for the house

For getting all these benefits is it not worth paying few thousands to an Architect?

Even after preparation of plan and Elevation,there are several architectural and structural engineering drawings required for proper and correct implementation of construction of house.Even the drawings prepared by an Architect as plan and Elevation has to be explained with details for the builder to know how to proceed with construction.

So your need for professional assistance and guidance does not end with preparation of plan.Plan will have to be designed in a manner to obtain a good Elevation.You cannot have any Elevation for any plan.Plan and Elevation are inter related.

When I was finalising plan of the house,one of my client told me that a particular builder can do the construction just by getting plan of the house.Then I told my client that he should not engage that builder if he says like that.He does not even know about need for detailed architecture and structural Engineering drawings and periodic on site supervision by the designer.

Only when the construction started and drawings after drawings on details started coming,my client understood importance of having professional guidance during construction.

And now the money part.For the payment an Architect takes , you save much more in lakhs during construction using his guidance and you finally get a better quality construction at lesser cost with proper utilisation of every built up space with definitely more value for money spent by you.

Do not think that Architects and Engineers are costly.They bring their rich experience,knowledge to make a better house for you and in the process in spite of paying them fees,they reduce cost of constructing your house substantially and guide you to have best and latest facilities and trends for your once in a life time dream house.

Do you want to save those fees given to professional and lose both money and better house by design and construction?

Flooring-new trends

Flooring options change often as new materials and trends coming in thereby completely or partially removing from the scene flooring materials which were in use for a long time.

About ten years back,mosaic and mosaic tile flooring were in use.Now you do not see such flooring anywhere.Before that red oxide flooring was very common.Now it is difficult even to find good masons who knows how to lay red oxide flooring well.Plane cement plastering was also used for flooring.

Clay tile flooring

If you look at old palaces,clay tile flooring was quite common.But the quality of clay tile used were not good resulting in wear and tear of the clay tile surface.So,when  I talk of going back to clay tile flooring first question I get is that will it last.

Present day clay tiles are better in quality.It will not  get damaged due to constant movements of men and material on clay tile laid surface.On slope roof,you have to lay clay tiles to give it that old Kerala traditional house appearance.Unlike in the olden days clay tiles laid on slope roof will not get fungus on it as it will be painted with new anti fungal paint which will give natural clay colour for the tiles.There are special tile shield paints which protect the clay tile from effects of sun and rain at least for about 5 years and after this you will have to re paint it.

On flat roof surface old method of plastering exposed surface is not that good.With sun and rain lashing the flat roof surface,it will get a big coat of fungus and gradually plastered surface will whither away thus causing wetness damaging concrete surface gradually and if the concrete laying was not done properly(That is the usual case with workers trying to do an easy job and contractor trying to reduce costly material content to increase profit and “very clever”owner of the house who tried to save fees payable to professional engineers or a professional agency giving house construction work to that “square feet cost”contractor.In almost all cases owner of the house simply believes lies told by contractor to hide his improper methods of concrete laying, as he himself does not know much about proper laying of concrete)

Instead of plastering the exposed surface of flat roof concrete,if you lay clay tiles it will act as permanent protection against rain and sun for concreted surface.Clay tile laid will reduce a good portion of heat being passed on to concrete roof as it absorbs heat.This will result in better cooling inside house.Of course clay tile can also cause fungus formation on top of it.But if you polish the exposed  clay tile surface after laying and apply anti fungal polyurethane coating,it will not attract fungus growth and clay tile will remain in tact braving sun and rain.On exposed roof surface you can also apply anti fungal  tile shield paint.But it will not look that good .

Inside bed rooms you can go for clay tiles as it will be more environment  eco friendly and definitely more healthier for you to move around or even sleep over bare floor .All other flooring materials except of course wooden flooring will not be eco friendly.

Wooden flooring

With cost of granite slabs going around Rs.200/-,using teak wood flooring will not be comparatively costly.There are agencies who will take up complete teak wood or other wood flooring on turn key basis including polishing using imported polishing material which will make the floor last for years without any damage.Of course you should not pour water over wooden floor surface or wash the floor with wet cloth.It will damage polishing.You can definitely use wooden flooring in areas where traffic is less like office room,bed rooms etc.

Other tiles

Granite and marble is on the way out of flooring.At least that is the present day trends .Marble is practically gone out and granite will move out shortly.Developments in technology has brought in materials like Naturoc tiles of NITCO and similar tiles from other manufacturers.These are available in thicker thickness thereby making it easy for bending edges like in granite.There are varieties of tiles which has got both anti stain mirror finish and rough surface.With rough surface tiles that can be bend at edges,these tiles make ideal choice for stair steps in place of granite slabs used earlier.

Tiles of various design and colour combinations now available and your Architect can custom design your toilet walls and floors using design specifically developed for you.

Outside wall tiles

Your compound walls and outside exposed walls can be given special exterior wall tiles with new design combinations.Similarly good design interlock tiles are available for laying  in the compound and car porch

Query-Flooring options

QUOTE

Hello Mr. Thomas,

I came across your blog and felt that you are an expert in house making. I would like to get few suggestions from you regarding the flooring for my house in Cochin,Kerala. My house is on 10 cent land and I wanted to do flooring on the ground floor as well as the top floor too. Could you please suggest me what kind of flooring or tiles would be reasonable and look attractive and how much the entire flooring would cost me?

I could find out from your blog that you often suggest clay tiles but could you also point out to me the bad points about the clay tiles also? If you could give the good and bad points of all types of tiles and how much each would cost me I would appreciate it.

I also wanted to do an exterior flooring like walkway or landscape outside my house which covers another 10 cent land also. Could you please give me an estimate how much it would cost me? Please tell me how much should be my budget for the interior flooring and the exterior flooring separately.
 
I would appreciate your suggestions and thanks a lot in advance.
 
Mercy Joshi.

My reply

There is a blog entry-Flooring options which give comparative details for various flooring options.Link is this
http://kerala-architects.blogspot.com/2009/12/flooring-for-house-options.html
 
After this blog entry  new varieties of vitrified tiles have come to the market.A super glossy stain free version and Naturoc tiles with rough surface which can also be used for stairs with edge curving
It will be more beneficial to you if I can visit your site
I can assess work so far done and give you suggestions not only on flooring but on all balance work to be done.I will give a detailed report in writing about work so far done,Vasthu aspects and suggestions on work to be done

Query-Looking for land and villa at Cochin

I am a distant cousin of Jairaj Iyer living in the UK.  I came to know about Jairaj's purchase of land and the house construction at Koratty.  He had sent me the link to his blog and the house looking amazing, its really our dream house in India.  
Jairaj told me that you helped him finding land. I am interested in looking for options available on the availability of land closer to Jairaj's land.  Could you please let me know on the availability of land and prevailing prices in the area?  This is for my settlement and not for just investment.  But the problem is I only visit India once a year and not planning to visit until later in the year.  Am not sure how we could progress with my interest.
Looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Regards,
Ganesh

My reply

Compared to other areas close to airport of Cochin  and Cochin city,area where Mr.Jairaj is building the house is relatively less costly and the nature and surroundings are calm and peaceful, typical Kerala village life.

For buying land you or some one close to you has to look at possible options and decide.If you are not coming to India in the near future,you have to entrust some one for that.If that decision making can be done and then funds can be arranged we can do rest of the job like technical/legal evaluation of land and and legal title of land,land purchase documentation,obtaining permits,designing and building house.Living in UK you can watch your house construction progressing with blog which you will create and maintain with  regular inputs on progress of construction,

This is the best safe option for an NRI as we handle your property purchase and development with all care,assistance and guidance  that can be expected from a  dedicated professional which a NRI can possibly dream now and mostly dismissed as only a dream.It is no more a dream.It is really possible!

Query on second Floor extension

QUOTE

I own a house at palarivattom Junction which was constructed at 1976 as a single floor and developed 1st floor in 1990. Now i am planning for a second floor above first floor which should be weightless as well as look like a fully build home. My requirement is as follows

1)    Can you undertake the task of planning the second home
2)    If you plan to undertake the work ,by what time will you finish the work
3)    Cost of raising
4)    Only concern of mine is weight issue,what all steps will you undertake for completion without affecting a hole in my pocket
5)    As the building is around 35 years old should i need to elevate a new column structure?

My reply

An additional floor for the existing 35 year old structure can be done only if the original foundation of the building is designed for three storey construction.
Column beam structure will be required for three storey building.But column beam structure cannot be put on top of existing structure as you have written.Column beam structure has to start from the ground level itself.Without a site visit,I cannot comment much on existing structure.

Time of completion of a construction project does not fully depend upon the building contractor.Funds should be available in time.Proper man power for umpteen items of work involved in building has to be available in time and they should work continuously as most of the construction workers take up few projects at same time to ensure continuous work for them.Materials required for construction should be available as and when required.

When you want to build ,you should be willing to spend money for it.If you start worrying about making hole in your pocket,construction work will not progress well to completion.

Cost can be calculated only after obtaining necessary data and finalisation of design.It cannot be simply guessed without any data.

Our services and free consultation

You can  have free consultation from me on Kerala Architecture, Vasthu aspects and anything related to house construction.
Having built more than 200 houses directly and designed many more houses, my knowledge and experience can be used by you to get a better house by design and professional work during construction

Write to me to
vhthomas@viruvelil.com
you will get reply within 48 hours

OUR SERVICES
1. Architectural Services
For building your dream house in Kerala or for building any other type of building, we can design your building by providing you effective guidance and design for
a)Preparation of Plan of the building
b) Elevations both two dimensional and three dimensional
c) Submission drawings to local authority
d) Engineering Estimate specifying cost for each item of work
e)Structural Engineering drawings for execution of the work
f) Detailed architectural drawings for the work
g) Interior design
h)Landscape and exterior work details
i) Site visits as and when required for guidance and supervision
2. Real estate assistance
For purchase of land or building in Kerala, we can provide you the following services:

a) Locating land or building for purchase with the assistance of our Real estate division ( in and around Cochin only).
b)Architectural, structural and legal evaluation of the property to be purchased
c) Verification of title documents of the property by legal experts
d) Documentation of the property purchase
e)Assistance for registration of the property and after registration formalities
f) Periodic maintenance of the property if the property is in and around Cochin
3. Construction of the building
We can take up construction of the building with complete professional care and guidance anywhere in Kerala and outside state(on case to case basis) subject to acceptance of terms and conditions of our construction division directly by using our trained work force, with complete supervision and guidance by our architects and engineers.
4. Vasthu consultancy
We can guide you on Vasthu before developing plan of the house and during construction also.
We can also inspect your existing building for Vasthu compliance and suggest suitable modifications to obtain better Vasthu compliance.
5. Interior design
We have a team of experienced and qualified Interior designers with complete man power and infrastructure to implement interior work with all the goodness of traditional Kerala Architecture and with modern technology and innovations.
6. Remodeling, Interior and furnishing of your existing building
Your existing old building can be made new(renovated) with remodeling, interior modifications and furnishings by our experts
7. Land scaping and other services
Our experts can convert your vacant space into more useful space and enhance its appearance and utility. Land around your house can be converted into more useful space with better appearance and aesthetic look.
    .
Any other services related to your building also can be referred to us.
We have qualified experts with experience in building more than 200 houses in different parts of Kerala and outside state and we have designed and remodeled much more houses.  
Mail your enquiries for our services to
vhthomas@viruvelil.com
info@viruvelil.com

Or call us 

HELP LINE-
00 91 9388701702
00 91 9497736072
00 91 9388701707
00 91 4842536895
00 91 4846571155

Fax-00 91 484 2531671

DISCLAIMER
Every effort is taken to provide you authentic information on Kerala Architecture and it is features and  relevant information on building a house in Kerala. VIRUVELIL group of Companies , V.H.Thomas or any person interacting through this website on behalf of VIRUVELIL group of companies will not be responsible for the authenticity or correctness of the information provided through this website or conveyed by email to any person contacting us for information, assistance, guidance or for any commercial activity related or followed after any enquiry or request for services /assistance/guidance

We do not accept responsibility for loss or damage arising from the use of the information provided through this website which may be creative work/technical data without our consent/involvement and guidance. We have complete, unchallenged copy right for all information, data, pictures, design details provided through this website. Any dissemination, use, review, distribution, printing or copying in part or full of information, data, pictures design details provided through this website is strictly prohibited

Any activity followed by information provided by our websites,blogs , by email or in responses to queries to V.H.Thomas should be carried out  with our assistance,involvement and guidance.We will not be responsible for any effects/damages to your property or any other adverse results by following our instructions without our involvement/guidance/assistance

Our Websites

http://www.keralaarchitecture.com/

http://www.viruvelil.com/

http://www.kerala-dreamhomes.com/